This conversation with Shirin Neshat and her recent film Looking for Oum Kulthum (2017) will be moderated by Samad Alavi (NELC) and Sonal Khullar (Art History). Born in 1957 in Qazin, Iran, Shirin Neshat is a contemporary Iranian visual artist who has done work in film, art, and photography. She left Iran before the 1979 Revolution and began studying at the University of California, Berkeley. Her films tend to be abstract and left to interpretation, revolving around themes of gender, identity, and society. Her artwork has been included at the Tate Gallery in London, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. She currently lives and works in New York.

Neshat's most recent film, Looking for Oum Kulthum (2017), will be screened at SIFF 2018 as a part of the NELC's Iranian Film Initiative.:SATURDAY, MAY 19 6:00 PM | Lincoln SquareSUNDAY, MAY 20 11:00 AM | AMC Pacific PlaceVisitwww.siff.netfor more info.

Samad Alavi is Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization at the University of Washington. Sonal Khullar is Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Washington. SIFF-Iranian Film Initiative is organized by a committee let by NELC faculty Shahrzad Shams and consists of community members from among Friends of NELC Persian and Iranian Studies Program.